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A portal spiralled to life within the open fields of Argent D'nur, allowing Tanjiro and the Doom Slayer to pass through seamlessly into the other world. The boy was fascinated by the sight of Argent D'nur, a place he's only ever heard of from the Doom Slayer. He was finally able to see it with his own eyes. Tanjiro was underwhelmed by how similar the terrain of Argent D'nur was to Earth, they were both identical so he didn't see anything that stood out to him but despite their similarities, something about the air and the essence of Argent D'nur's nature stood out to him but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. As Tanjiro looked around, he gasped once he saw a humongous megastructure in the far distance. It was a large, blue mountain of ice that pierced the sky and surpassed the atmosphere. His eyes widened, he has never seen something so large in his life. Despite being far away from it, the size of the mountain daunted him. It made him curious to know what type of creatures lived on it or what he would find if he hiked up it (if such a feat was possible).
The Slayer stepped forward without saying anything, prompting the boy to follow after him as they passed by countless trees. They followed along a streamlined path in the forest. There, they could see damaged vehicles and debris from the Argent D'nur civil war that took place many years ago. It seems that some of the damage has still not been repaired after all of this time. Tanjiro marvelled at the destroyed creations surrounding him. Despite their condition, they were designed so intricately that the boy couldn't comprehend the technology behind the broken war machines of the Night Sentinels. The more Tanjiro saw, the more the boy began recognizing consistent themes and patterns with Argent D'nur's technology. He was getting a strong imprint of the Night Sentinel's style and was better able to recognize their belongings if he saw it.
It didn't take them long to walk up to a Sentinel village which was still damaged from the civil war. However, it was surprisingly clean with no corpses in plain-sight or miniature debris. Tanjiro was surprised by the apparent lack of corpses. Sure, corpses decompose over time but he expected to find weapons and/or armor laying around. The boy accidentally bumped into the Slayer who had stopped in his tracks as he began looking around. The boy flinched upon bumping into the Slayer but frantically looked around once he noticed the Slayer doing the same.
"Took you longer than expected, Slayer." An older man's voice sounded from around a corner to a nearby building. Both Tanjiro and the Slayer looked towards the corner to see a battle-scarred Commander Valen emerging from the corner. The man walked towards the Doom Slayer with his argent hammer attached to the back of his suit, standing tall above the man's head. The man took notice of the surprised boy standing next to the Slayer and commented, "Ah, I understand. I was unaware you were bringing a companion with you."
Tanjiro composed himself as much as possible before the older man as he greeted himself quickly, "My name is Tanjiro Kamado, sir, it's a pleasure to meet you! Mister Flint has told me a lot about you!"
"Has he? Surprising. After becoming the Doom Slayer, he took up a vow of silence for reasons unknown. It seems things have changed since our last meeting." Valen then saw Xernex's argent axe hanging off of the Slayer's hip and noted, "I take it you finally put him down?" The Slayer didn't move his head due to it being a difficult question to answer. Xernex sacrificed himself by offering his power core to the Slayer so the warrior could return to his dimension and finish the fight. However, it was ultimately due to the Slayer's actions and the damage he inflicted on the night sentinel that his only friend finally passed away in battle.
After a brief pause, the warrior slowly nodded his head in response to the commander's question. The man let out a sigh as he placed his hand on the warrior's shoulder and consoled, "He won't be forgotten. Come, there is much to discuss." Valen guided the two of them to the same corner he emerged from to reveal a hidden manhole cover that led towards the sewer system of the village they were in. After removing the cover and descending the ladder, they began traversing the dark and eerie sewers of Argent D'nur. They traveled for several minutes, only following the former commander of the Night Sentinels in the darkness until they were taken to a large wall with a heavy blast door in the center. The man knocked on the door and said something in the sentinel language which the Slayer recognized. It was an old catchphrase Commander Valen would often say to his recruits. It roughly translates to: "Fight with honor, die with honor."
The blast door began unsealing itself and was pried open as two sentinel guards emerged and greeted the commander nonchalantly. However, they stopped upon seeing the Doom Slayer in front of them. Although they were surprised to see him, they weren't surprised that he was still alive. If anyone was going to survive what happened to the majority of their forces on that fateful day, it was the Slayer. They said nothing in response as they allowed the Slayer to step through behind Valen but kept their attention on Tanjiro who was staring at their green armor and noticing how similar it looked to Xernex's.
They entered a long hallway filled to the brim with bright neon lights that lit the long corridor. The hallway connected many rooms together, each serving a different purpose as they were able to see several Night Sentinels in each one performing maintenance on different things and fulfilling various tasks. As they walked through, Valen explained to the two of them, "It was difficult, organizing this. However, after our last meeting, I mustered the courage to return to Argent D'nur and try finding anyone that still believed in our cause. I was ridiculed for what I had done and to an extent, I still am. However, few managed to accept what I had done and work with me to start slowly reuniting our scattered forces. We're fortunate that we didn't send our entire strike force through those portals but the priests and Khan were expecting that so they sent more demons to finish off those of us who had stayed behind. Among the ones who stepped through those portals, only you survived. The forces we still had, here, were forced to retreat, disbanding and scattering into various regions of Argent D'nur. Not all rejoined our cause, but the few I have managed to gather have made this old hideout our new base of operations. It's not ideal, but it's all we have left."
As they passed by the various rooms, the night sentinels all peaked out to catch a glimpse of the Doom Slayer. Commander Valen had informed them prior to his departure that the warrior would be returning so they were all very excited to see their savior return to them once more. However, they were confused by the small boy accompanying him. Some thought the same thing the commander did while others believed the child belonged to the Slayer. Valen took the Hellwalker and Tanjiro to a private conference room where they could discuss things in private. It was a small room with a small round table and seats surrounding the perimeter of it. The three of them took a seat before Valen cut right to the chase, "So, how can I help you?"
The Slayer explained, "I need to get to Immora to stop the Dark Lord but I need a suitable power source to activate the Gate of Divum. What's the fastest way for me to get to the World Spear?"
Valen leaned back in his seat as he placed his hand on his chin and began brainstorming ideas before eventually stating, "The fastest way I can think of is to ride one of our dragons. However, the majority of them are scattered, returned to the wild… Unless… you light the Torch of Kings and call them here, but the dragons aren't the only thing you will call."
"That's fine with me… Also, this kid needs an upgrade." The Slayer moved to reveal Tanjiro who looked at the Slayer, confused by what he meant before catching on and revealing his prosthetic limbs crafted by the warrior. Valen looked at the boy's prosthetic limbs and said in a nonchalant manner:
"That can be arranged."
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Valen had gathered his best doctors and staff to help replace Tanjiro's prosthetic limbs, leaving the boy in their capable hands as they took him in and he listened to what they said. He was forced to remove a majority of his clothes so his prosthetics could be revealed. He laid upon a large bed, surrounded by foreign machinery that he had never seen before. This was terrifying to look at for Tanjiro compared to how sweet and gentle the Butterfly Mansion was in comparison. All of the doctors around him wore a serious and stern expression unlike Lady Shinobu who's presence soothed the boy. Remembering her death made his heart ache a little but he couldn't imagine how much Kanao was still hurting. A wave of guilt washed over Tanjiro as he realized that everyone else was probably awake and searching for him by now, panicking over his disappearance. He should've left a message behind, written some kind of letter or anything to let his friends and family know he'll be okay. He wished Kanao was there when he was in the Doom fortress so she, too, could see space and be amazed by it. He wanted to share that experience with her but instead, he impulsively left her behind. He hoped she wasn't upset with him because of that but he understood why if she was.
The boy saw the doctor preparing some needles and connecting it to a long tube. That's when the boy remembered something important as he asked, "Wait, are you going to make me fall asleep?!"
The doctor turned towards him as he answered, "Yeah?"
"Don't! It's going to take too long and we don't have time to waste! I don't want to waste any more of the Slayer's time by having him wait for me to wake up, just get it over with so I can be on my way!"
The doctors burst out laughing at Tanjiro's ignorance as they explained, "Kid, trust me when I say that you don't ever want to be awake during a surgery."
"Please! I've already wasted enough of his time, I'm begging you! Please just get this over with as fast as possible!"
The doctors sighed as they got close and complied, "Fine, we'll try to numb you as much as possible but it's going to hurt, a lot." The boy finally relaxed as he rested in his seat and closed his eyes, concentrating on his breathing as much as possible and utilizing everything both Rengoku and Yorichii taught him.
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Valen and the Slayer walked around the complex as the commander was informing the Slayer of all of the recent, yet minor, developments in Argent D'nur. The Commander decided to thank the warrior as he said to him, "By the way, I never thanked you for lifting my son's curse. I was filled with dread and guilt once I saw what they had done to him. Knowing his soul is resting peacefully has put me in a similar state of mind. However, I still struggle to overcome the consequences of my actions. Our people may never forgive me for what I've done, that's why I feel it fitting to give you this." The Man turned around, removing the Argent hammer hanging from the back of his armor and raising it like a trophy for the Doom Slayer. The Slayer stared at the hammer for a brief period before grabbing it firmly with one hand and taking it off of the Commander's hands as the man stared proudly at the Doom Slayer who was wielding his prized weapon.
The warrior then put his hand out for a handshake which surprised the commander but the man went along with it anyways. As he reached his hand out to return the gesture, the Slayer quickly yanked the Sentinel Crucible hanging from his hip and pressed it onto Valen's hand before leaning in and saying, "You want to atone for your sins? Then unify our people."
Valen was left bewildered as he tried to let go of the Crucible but the Doom Slayer adamantly forced the man to wield the weapon in his hands despite his refusal. Valen pleaded, "N-no! Not after what I've done. I don't deserve this! Our people would be more willing to unite under your leadership!"
"If there's anyone who is more deserving and loyal to their people, it's you. This is my one and only order as King: Take it."
The Slayer let go of Valen's hand which was now gripping the Sentinel Crucible tightly. The man brought the bladeless weapon to his chest and closed his eyes as he accepted the new responsibility and responded, "I'll do my best." The Hellwalker nodded in approval as he slung the Argent Hammer onto the back of his praetor suit.
They turned their heads towards the other side of the hallway once they heard Tanjiro's scream of pain. Without hesitation, the Doom Slayer bolted down the other end of the hallway towards the origin of the scream. The man smashed through the door to the operating room to see Tanjiro wincing in pain as his legs and left arm sockets were profusely bleeding and there were several tubes and bits of metal stuck into his body. The warrior stomped towards the doctor closest to the boy and grabbed him by the throat and began squeezing on the man's neck tightly.
Tanjiro cried out to the Slayer, "It's not what you think!" The boy took several deep breaths to calm himself down as he slung his head back and continued explaining, "I didn't want to keep you waiting.. so I asked them to keep me awake! That way.. once I get my new prosthetics.. we can head out right away!" The boy tried to lift his head but he couldn't maintain consciousness for long as he passed out from the pain and the exhaustion that came with withstanding it. The Slayer let go of the doctor, growling intensely as he felt extremely frustrated with the boy's rebellious behavior. He stormed out of the room as a result with Valen simply watching in awe of what just happened.
Valen followed behind the warrior as he pointed out, "It seems it was a false alarm. However, you seem to have a strong connection with that boy. What is he to you?"
The Slayer stopped to turn towards Valen and answer, "He… is the future. A future that keeps trying to get himself killed. He's reckless, he's stupid, and most of all: he's naive. He thinks he has something to prove but he doesn't. He's not in a state to be doing anything, I hate it when he keeps thumbing his nose into my affairs. He should just sit tight and let the adults do the hard work. This is my fight, not his. It's my responsibility to stop the demons."
"There's your problem. You keep trying to shoulder the burden of responsibility all on your own and push away everyone else but you don't seem to realize that us Night Sentinels and anyone else ravaged by those demons share a mutual hatred for those creatures. We want to help, we want to get rid of those things as much as you do. So are you going to try and stop us too?
"Do as you like."
"Then why do you choose to stop Tanjiro? Do you not trust him?
The Slayer paused for a moment before answering, "I trust him. However, he is in no position to be dealing with such things. He won't be able to handle it."
"Perhaps you are giving the boy less credit than he deserves. Yes, he may be naive but I can tell back there that he has a deep admiration and respect for you and immense willpower. Perhaps you should give him a chance, that may be all he wants."
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Several hours had passed and Tanjiro was starting to regain consciousness as his eyes cracked open. He quickly winced once he saw the blaring white lights of the operating room intruding into his vision so he looked away so he could readjust to the setting. The doctors saw Tanjiro moving as they commented, "Oh, good, you're awake, and just in time, too." Tanjiro looked to see strange, metallic stubs built into his arm and legs but he didn't have a set of replacements yet. He looked around before commenting:
"Uhh… where are my limbs?" The doctors said nothing as they rolled a cart next to Tanjiro's bed with a set of replacement limbs. They looked much more sturdy than before, now sporting sentinel-green metal plates with a silver framing. The doctor lifted the mechanic left arm and eased it towards Tanjiro who was watching in anticipation as he wondered how his arm was going to fit.
In an instant, the arm was ripped out of the doctor's hands as the shoulder magnetized onto the arm socket of Tanjiro's body. It was surreal as Tanjiro felt an instantaneous connection to his new arm and was able to move it. He flexed his new arm, his mouth opening in awe as he marvelled at the flexibility and smoothness of his new limb. It was much more life-like compared to his older ones despite it being made out of metal. The other doctors grabbed the mechanical legs and magnetized them to Tanjiro's body as they instantaneously connected with his body and allowed him to move. He curled his legs before moving them in all sorts of directions as he sat up quickly. He no longer had to rely on his right arm to carry his weight, he was able to effortlessly shift the weight onto his new prosthetics now. The doctors stood back as they knew the boy was already acquainted with having a prosthetic body and simply observed as the boy walked around, stretching his new prosthetics as much as possible as he tested out his new range of mobility and performing several squats to see how strong his new legs were. They were fantastic, he would even argue that his new limbs were stronger than his original ones! It was amazing!
The boy looked at himself using a nearby mirror to take in the design of his new limbs. They were heavily armored as his arm had a shoulder pad that protected his joint and extra layers of metallic plating covering his body. He didn't need to be a scientist to figure out how much of an improvement these new limbs were compared to his last ones.
Tanjiro was excused as he quickly got dressed but had difficulty putting on his haori due to how bulky his left arm was so he decided to improvise by tying the article of clothing around his neck like a cape that hung over his right arm. Tanjiro exitted the operating room to see the Doom Slayer and Valen patiently waiting for him. The boy ran up and flexed his new limbs as he said to them, "How do I look? I think this looks awesome!"
The Slayer nodded in agreement before walking up to the boy and placing his hand on Tanjiro's shoulder, explaining, "With that, I think it's time for you to go."
Tanjiro smacked the Slayer's hand away from him as he begged, "What?! Why?! I thought we were in this together!"
"Never once did I say that you were a part of my plan. I said I will be going to Immora, not us. The only reason I kept you around was to help replace those flimsy prosthetics of yours. Now that we've done that, it's time for you to go."
"No! I want to help! I am not a liability anymore now that I've gotten sentinel-grade prosthetics! At the very least, I'm as strong as I used to be!"
"That's not good enough. You'll get killed easily out there."
"I know it's dangerous but I can still help!"
"I don't need help."
"That's not what this is about! This is about doing what's right for the sake of the universe! Xernex entrusted everyone's safety to us but you keep trying to shoulder the responsibility all by yourself! I know that you don't have much faith in my abilities and sure, I'm nowhere near as good as you but I can still fight! All of us can!"
The other night sentinels all peaked their heads out from the nearby rooms because they overheard the argument going on outside and began exclaiming, "The kid's got a point! We can still fight!" After that statement, all of the night sentinels began cheering in unison as they psyched themselves up for battle.
The warrior paid no mind to the sentinels around him as he continued, "This isn't something a child should be doing."
Tanjiro barked in retaliation as he exclaimed, "My childhood was over when my family died! I've accepted that they're gone but I can still fight for a brighter future with the friends and family I have now!"
Flynn stared at Tanjiro for a brief period, he was beginning to see Xernex within Tanjiro. They both shared the same passionate glare and determination for improvement. That's when the Slayer responded, "If you fight alongside me, you'll regret it. You'll be forced to make impossible decisions that you'll agonize over for the rest of your life. You're going to see people die and there are things that will haunt you. That's not something I want for you."
Tanjiro was moved by the Slayer's words now that he understood where the warrior's concerns were. Regardless, the boy had to stand his ground as he answered, "I know it won't be easy. I know there's a lot of things I'm not prepared for, but I'm ready to face those challenges head-on!"
The Slayer kept his gaze on the boy in front of him, taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling while remaining silent. He said under a defeated breath, "Fine... I'll allow you to fight alongside me but you'll be needing this." The Slayer unhooked Xernex's argent axe from his hip and pressed it against Tanjiro who was baffled by the gesture.
Tanjiro tried to reject the offer as he pleaded, "No! This belonged to your best friend, I shouldn't have this!"
"And now I'm trusting you to take care of it." Tanjiro nodded as he grabbed the axe and held it tightly, his eyes partially sparkling as he was nearly moved to tears by the fact that he was being trusted to hold something valuable for the Doom Slayer. Not only that, it was the weapon of one of his idols so he knew he had to take extra care of it. After inspecting the weapon in his hands, Tanjiro turned towards Commander Valen and requested:
"Commander Valen, sir, are you able to recruit my friends back home? I'm pretty sure Mister Flint still has a working beacon there that he forgot to shut off. I think you might be able to hone in on that signal and reach them."
Valen crossed his arms as he said, "I'll see what I can do. But first, I need to reunite our fractured kingdom and get it ready for battle. Once you two get the coordinates to Immora, we'll follow you."
The boy nodded as he turned towards the Slayer and waited for whatever the warrior had to say. The man turned towards the nearby night sentinels that were still listening to the conversation and demanded, "I need red paint." Without question, the sentinels brought a bucket of red paint over along with a brush. Tanjiro was confused by what the Slayer wanted to do and watched as the man took Tanjiro's prosthetic left arm and began illustrating something with the red paint. It took only a minute or two until the warrior was complete and he backed away from Tanjiro so they could both see how it looks.
Valen raised his eyebrows in shock as he commented, "Ah, so that's what it's come to."
Tanjiro recognized the mark right away as he noted out, "Wait a minute, isn't this the same mark you have on your helmet?" before pointing towards the identical red mark above the Slayer's visor. Valen stepped forward as he explained:
"The Mark of the Slayer."
The Doom Slayer crossed his arms as he further elaborated, "Let's just say it means you're under my supervision." Tanjiro simply smiled, he didn't feel the need to say anything else in response. With their new goal now set, the Hellwalker and Tanjiro took their leave as they marched towards the exit. Suddenly, the Doom Slayer began informing Tanjiro, "By the way, kid, I figured something out during my battle against Xernex."